Start by choosing between QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop. For most small businesses, Online is the better choice. It runs in the cloud so you can access it anywhere, updates automatically, and connects easily with banks and other business apps. Desktop still makes sense for some industries with specialized needs, but Online handles the majority of small business accounting requirements.

Before you create your account, gather the information you’ll need. Have your EIN or Social Security number ready, along with your business legal name and address. You’ll also need login credentials for your bank accounts and credit cards so you can connect them during setup.

The chart of accounts is where most DIY setups go wrong. QuickBooks creates a default chart of accounts based on your industry, but it’s rarely perfect for your specific business. Think about what you actually need to track. A restaurant needs different expense categories than a consulting firm. Don’t accept every default account, and don’t create too many either. A bloated chart of accounts makes categorization confusing and reports harder to read.

Connect your bank accounts and credit cards so transactions flow in automatically. QuickBooks will start downloading recent transactions and let you categorize them. Resist the urge to categorize everything immediately. First, make sure your chart of accounts is right. Recategorizing hundreds of transactions because your initial setup was wrong is tedious work that a small business bookkeeping service often ends up fixing later.

Set up your products and services if you invoice customers. Each product or service should map to the correct income account. If you charge for both consulting and reimbursable expenses, those should be separate items hitting separate accounts so your revenue reports make sense.

If you collect sales tax, configure that during setup. QuickBooks Online can calculate sales tax automatically based on customer location, but you need to turn it on and set it up correctly. Getting this wrong means either charging customers the wrong amount or owing the state money you didn’t collect.

Enter your opening balances carefully. If you’re switching from another system or starting mid-year, you need accurate starting points for bank accounts, outstanding invoices, and unpaid bills. Incorrect opening balances mean your books will never reconcile properly.

Set up user permissions if anyone else will access your books. Give employees only the access they need. Your bookkeeper needs different permissions than someone who only enters time or creates invoices.

The setup process itself takes a few hours if you’re prepared. Getting it right saves dozens of hours over the coming year. Many small businesses set up QuickBooks themselves, run it for a year, then discover their books are a mess because the foundation was wrong. Professional QuickBooks setup and training costs less than cleaning up a year of miscategorized transactions and incorrect account structures. If you’re comfortable with accounting concepts and have time to learn the software, self-setup works fine. If you want it done right the first time, professional setup pays for itself quickly.